2006.01.10: January 10, 2006: Headlines: FAQ: Intelligence Issues: Military: Miss Lonelyhearts: Ask Metafilter: Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I was in the Army from 1997 to 2001. I was operationally deployed during the spring/summer of 2000. During my deployment, my unit engaged in information/intelligence-gathering activities. Will my army deployment make me ineligible for Peace Corps?

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2006.01.10: January 10, 2006: Headlines: FAQ: Intelligence Issues: Military: Miss Lonelyhearts: Ask Metafilter: Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I was in the Army from 1997 to 2001. I was operationally deployed during the spring/summer of 2000. During my deployment, my unit engaged in information/intelligence-gathering activities. Will my army deployment make me ineligible for Peace Corps?

Dear Miss Lonelyhearts: I was in the Army from 1997 to 2001. I was operationally deployed during the spring/summer of 2000. During my deployment, my unit engaged in information/intelligence-gathering activities. Will my army deployment make me ineligible for Peace Corps?

"My understanding has always been that the Peace Corps wants to stay far away from any links to the CIA (for fear of being tainted and thus unwelcome in the more paranoid nations) . My brief flirtation with becoming a volunteer led me to believe, as barnacles does, that a CIA or otherwise-sneaky-government background would disqualify you."

Does my involvement in information-gathering activities make me ineligible for Peace Corps?

I was in the Army from 1997 to 2001. I was operationally deployed during the spring/summer of 2000. During my deployment, my unit engaged in information/intelligence-gathering activities. In fact, my unit was involved in two separate programs; one involved the CIA, one did not. I was involved in the program that did not involve the CIA, and never actively collected information. Rather, I edited situation reports sent to our headquarters from teams in the field. Does my involvement in this program, or the fact that my unit (but again, not me personally) had contact with the CIA make me ineligible for Peace Corps? If so, for how long? I've read the Peace Corps form relating to this topic, but it looks like there's some gray area. Anyone else with a similar military background applied to Peace Corps? posted by anonymous to law & government (13 comments total)

This is going to sound dumb, but why dont you call and ask them anonymously? posted by merlin17 at 3:23 PM PST on January 10

Anecdotally, it sounds like it might make you just right for the Peace Corps. When I was spending time with my PC pal in Guatemala, one of the things he had to do was regularly file reports not only on how his project was going, but also a lot of detail about the region that he lived in, who the power brokers were, who hung out with whom, who was helpful and who was hostile, that sort of thing. That said, their form specifically outlines that it's the detemination of Peace Corps Counsel who make the final decision and you won't know without runnning it by them. posted by jessamyn at 3:47 PM PST on January 10

I cannot elaborate on this, but I can speak from experience:

You have no chance of being accepted into the Peace Corps.

Sorry. posted by barnacles at 4:07 PM PST on January 10

My understanding has always been that the Peace Corps wants to stay far away from any links to the CIA (for fear of being tainted and thus unwelcome in the more paranoid nations) . My brief flirtation with becoming a volunteer led me to believe, as barnacles does, that a CIA or otherwise-sneaky-government background would disqualify you.

But yeah, call and ask. They may have room for you in less-sensitive places. posted by jaysus chris at 6:47 PM PST on January 10

Yeah, as a former volunteer I'd lean toward what barnacles said. The thing is that they might now outright reject you, but rather they just won't place you, or they won't find a position/region you really want. I really think that very few folks are outright rejected from the application process, but rather they convince you to deselect yourself by jerking you around.

Seriously, though, there's an argument to be made that Peace Corps has a very little amount of credibility in a lot of countries--and the accusation of working for the CIA is frequently thrown around. Therefore, at some level they need to keep themselves very separate from counter-intelligence activities. And, Jessamyn, in my country in Africa I was never asked to provide that type of information about my community. posted by handful of rain at 6:51 PM PST on January 10

Barnacles is right. (Supporting evidence: here and here in Peace Corps webchats with recruiters.) Furthermore, ops are forbidden from using Peace Corps as a cover because of the sanctity of the program by its enabling legislation (no matter its reputation in some areas) - I wish I could find a primary source, but reading Kessler has always been highly recommended.

But don't get too down - Americorps can use you here. Go down to Appalachia, the Mississippi delta, the Gulf, or New Mexico. We need help from good people in lots of places. posted by sachinag at 7:33 PM PST on January 10

From sachinag's first link:

Chuck430 - So what are some of the reason why an applicant maybe rejected?

(PC Rep) - not american citizen, doen't have a skill set that matches the request from the field, questionable professionalism, certain affiliations with intelligence- CIA, or arrests and convictions, maybe even a medical non disclosure.

I think you should just ask. It might not be a deal breaker. posted by jaysus chris at 7:59 PM PST on January 10

I was involved in the program that did not involve the CIA, and never actively collected information. Rather, I edited situation reports sent to our headquarters from teams in the field.

Anonymous, you need to go through the application process and/or talk with the Peace Corps about your specific situation, because it looks like there's plenty of loophole to jump through here if they want you badly enough and they're sending you someplace more along the Marshall Islands than, for instance, one of the former-Soviet'Stans. In a non-paranoid locale, you could quite fairly be marketed as a glorified former editor/proofreader. posted by availablelight at 8:43 PM PST on January 10

I just realized that barnacles paid the five bucks to post his/her response. (posting history) But, hey, a call wouldn't kill you. But as I'm sure you're aware, do it from a pay phone. posted by sachinag at 8:51 PM PST on January 10

This is a hot topic, apparently, due to the National Call to Service law expanding military->Peace Corps recruitment. Several sources indicate that the CIA-won't-infiltrate rule stems from a personal promise that Kennedy made to his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver, and is probably enshrined in agency regulations, rather than the US Code (I looked). Thus you'll have to find out yourself what the limitations are, I'm afraid. posted by dhartung at 11:09 PM PST on January 10

sachinag, you're right. I have a bit of a history along these lines and wanted to maybe help someone in a similar situation.

And handful of rain, I can attest that outright rejection might just be in the cards, but if it's going to happen to anonymous, I hope he pushes the PC to tell him upfront, rather than listening to recruiters who tell him "Oh, it'll probably be nothing. Don't worry about it!", going 90% of the way through the application/interview process, and getting rejected at pretty much the last step before being shipped out for staging. posted by barnacles at 11:47 PM PST on January 10

I would think that a major factor is what your MOS was while in the Army, in addition to your unit of assignment and nature of the activity while deployed. It sounds like you were basically doing administrative/office duties in support of active collectors (editing and forwarding reports to the next higher echelon)... if you were a glorified 71L/42L proofreading papers, it's more "innocent" than doing the same duties while holding an intelligence MOS. (For example, even being a 97B counterintelligence agent like myself is an automatic disqualifier for Peace Corps, even if I had spent my entire tour stateside doing PMCS in the motor pool, LOL.) I'd echo the recommendations above and say that if you think you have a shot, contact the Peace Corps and explain your situation, the worst they can do is say sorry, we can't accept you. posted by SenshiNeko at 3:56 AM PST on January 11

When this story was posted in October 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Chris Dodd's Vision for the Peace CorpsSenator Chris Dodd (RPCV Dominican Republic) spoke at the ceremony for this year's Shriver Award and elaborated on issues he raised at Ron Tschetter's hearings. Dodd plans to introduce legislation that may include: setting aside a portion of Peace Corps' budget as seed money for demonstration projects and third goal activities (after adjusting the annual budget upward to accommodate the added expense), more volunteer input into Peace Corps operations, removing medical, healthcare and tax impediments that discourage older volunteers, providing more transparency in the medical screening and appeals process, a more comprehensive health safety net for recently-returned volunteers, and authorizing volunteers to accept, under certain circumstances, private donations to support their development projects. He plans to circulate draft legislation for review to members of the Peace Corps community and welcomes RPCV comments.

He served with honorOne year ago, Staff Sgt. Robert J. Paul (RPCV Kenya) carried on an ongoing dialog on this website on the military and the peace corps and his role as a member of a Civil Affairs Team in Iraq and Afghanistan. We have just received a report that Sargeant Paul has been killed by a car bomb in Kabul. Words cannot express our feeling of loss for this tremendous injury to the entire RPCV community. Most of us didn't know him personally but we knew him from his words. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends. He was one of ours and he served with honor.

Chris Shays Shifts to Favor an Iraq TimetableIn a policy shift, RPCV Congressman Chris Shays, long a staunch advocate of the Bush administration's position in Iraq, is now proposing a timetable for a withdrawal of American troops. How Mr. Shays came to this change of heart is, he says, a matter of a newfound substantive belief that Iraqis need to be prodded into taking greater control of their own destiny under the country’s newly formed government. As Chairman of the House Government Reform subcommittee on national security, he plans to draft a timetable for a phased withdrawal and then push for its adoption. A conscientious objector during the Vietnam War who said that if drafted he would not serve, Chris Shays has made 14 trips to Iraq and was the first Congressman to enter the country after the war - against the wishes of the Department of Defense.

Peace Corps' Screening and Medical ClearanceThe purpose of Peace Corps' screening and medical clearance process is to ensure safe accommodation for applicants and minimize undue risk exposure for volunteers to allow PCVS to complete their service without compromising their entry health status. To further these goals, PCOL has obtained a copy of the Peace Corps Screening Guidelines Manual through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and has posted it in the "Peace Corps Library." Applicants and Medical Professionals (especially those who have already served as volunteers) are urged to review the guidelines and leave their comments and suggestions. Then read the story of one RPCV's journey through medical screening and his suggestions for changes to the process.

The Peace Corps is "fashionable" againThe LA Times says that "the Peace Corps is booming again and "It's hard to know exactly what's behind the resurgence." PCOL Comment: Since the founding of the Peace Corps 45 years ago, Americans have answered Kennedy's call: "Ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man." Over 182,000 have served. Another 200,000 have applied and been unable to serve because of lack of Congressional funding. The Peace Corps has never gone out of fashion. It's Congress that hasn't been keeping pace.

PCOL readership increases 100%Monthly readership on "Peace Corps Online" has increased in the past twelve months to 350,000 visitors - over eleven thousand every day - a 100% increase since this time last year. Thanks again, RPCVs and Friends of the Peace Corps, for making PCOL your source of information for the Peace Corps community. And thanks for supporting the Peace Corps Library and History of the Peace Corps. Stay tuned, the best is yet to come.

History of the Peace CorpsPCOL is proud to announce that Phase One of the "History of the Peace Corps" is now available online. This installment includes over 5,000 pages of primary source documents from the archives of the Peace Corps including every issue of "Peace Corps News," "Peace Corps Times," "Peace Corps Volunteer," "Action Update," and every annual report of the Peace Corps to Congress since 1961. "Ask Not" is an ongoing project. Read how you can help.

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